Thank you...

On behalf of the Juneau Symphony's board and players, I would like to announce the winners of our 1999-2000 Concert Season Travel Raffle:

Bruce Denton won the one day kayak trip for two people, donated by Auk Ta Shaa Discovery; Kevin Hand won the day fishing charter for four people with Jim Preston on the Miss Janefer; longtime Symphony trombonist and Lifetime Member Larry Stevens won two tickets on Alaska Airlines; and Lori Telfer won the grand prize, a week for two at the Kihei Bay Vista resort, with airfare, condominium, and rental car included, courtesy of Hawaiian Vacations. Sandy Burd won $100 as the Symphony musician who sold by far the most raffle tickets.

Thank you to the business and individual supporters who donated these wonderful prizes. We drew the winners at our Feb. 12 concert, after an exciting flurry of last minute raffle ticket sales - thanks also to everyone who supported the Symphony by buying raffle tickets.

Our travel raffle is the Symphony's biggest fund raiser each year. Funds raised will be used to support Symphony operations during our upcoming season, when we will welcome Kyle Wiley Pickett, the new music director of the Symphony. Thanks again to all donors and ticket buyers for their generous support of live symphonic music in Juneau.

Jetta WhittakerSymphony Administrator

...for alternative teachers

I want to publicly thank all the staff and teachers of YaKoos Alternative High School. These caring, dedicated people are committed to the belief that students who don't ``fit the mold'' still need and deserve an education. Like most educators, they put in lots of extra hours. They also do an incredible job of coping with very limited resources and challenging physical environment. While being flexible and allowing students every possible chance to succeed, these teachers do not lose sight of the need for academic standards, ensuring that credits earned reflect meaningful work and accomplishment. When young people stay in school, the whole community gains.

Thanks, YaKoos staff. Thank you most of all for not giving up on our kids. The world needs more people like you.

Kathy Ellis

...for Special Olympics support

The Juneau Special Olympics Management Team, parents and athletes would like to thank Brenda Flansaas for her dedication and hard work in chairing and operating the Special Olympic garage sale held in the Mendenhall Annex in January. Brenda's hard work helped the team raise funds to pay for their trip to Anchorage for Winter Games. Thanks to you Brenda and your team of dedicated volunteers including Deb Gazaway, Brenda Johnson, and Lora Mallinger for the tremendous job on this huge undertaking. Thanks also to members of the Juneau community who donated items for the sale and to the Mendenhall Mall for providing the space to allow the sale to happen.

...for safety event

On Saturday, Feb. 26, Bartlett Regional Hospital had the privilege to sponsor the 10th annual Kid Safe event at Centennial Hall. The primary emphasis of this effort is to provide the children of Juneau with the knowledge and skills in hope of reducing the chance of a preventable accident. Thirty-six local agencies and organizations came together to provide this information to 547 children and over 375 parents. Bartlett Regional Hospital would like to thank the following individuals and agencies for all the hard work and time: Steve Hernandez, Kim Martin and the Juneau Police Department, Dave Thomson and the Safe Kid Coalition, Dayle Tennison, Phil Paramore and the Centennial Hall crew, Wendy Marriot and staff at Zach Gordon Youth Center, Fran Martin and the U.S. Forest Service, Brenda Carlson and the A.G. Brown Pool, Jim and Carol Douglas and 4-H, Mary Becker and the kids at TATU, Bruce Bowler, Mike Eberhardt, Ann Rausch, Megan Theriot and the AWARE shelter, Martha Penrose, Peter Bibb and AEL&P, Kathy and Sandy Libby and the Gastineau Humane Society, Betty Seguin and Trail Mix, Judy Murphy and the Juneau Freewheelers Bike Club, U.S.C.G. Marine Safety office, Debbie Sis and the American Red Cross, Justine Muench and her Girls Scout troop, Romayne Kareen at the Department of Public Safety, John Kern and Capital Transit, Bill Hagevig at Princess Tours, Lame Strumme with the SE AK Area Boy Scouts, Joe Cottingham for operating CHIPS, Lisa Hollis, Trisha Birmingham and the crew with Airlift Northwest, the Juneau Joeys, Jill Egan and Christianson Communications, the Bartlett Hospital Guild, Rae Dodd at Tongass Regional Eye Clinic, Rosalee Walker, Sheila Barret with Boys and Girls Club, Steve Meyer with the National Marine Fisheries, Barbara Hale and Denali Kid Care, Beth Landvatter and SE AK Gymnastics Academy, Northland Audiology, and the volunteers from Ms. Seamount's JDHS class. In addition, the following business and organizations provided donations of which we are most thankful: The Silverbow Bakery, Irene Cadiente, Andres Cadiente, Cathy Thomas, F/V Star of the Sea, F/V Christian, Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp #2, Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp #3, Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp, Juneau Tlingit & Haida Community Council, Goldbelt Inc., Klukwan Inc., Douglas Indian Association, Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Costco, Fred Meyer, Downtown McDonald's, Northern Sales of Alaska Inc. and the Salvation Army.

We would like to give a big thanks to the Bartlett Regional Hospital employees who gave of their time. Finally, we would like to give a special thank you to the efforts and time put in by Dolores Cadiente, Priscilla Martin and all her volunteers who prepared the lunches. Again, thank you.

Harriet CulverHeather NewbyJohn Wray

...for supporting family

The family of Ronald L. Larson would like to express our sincere appreciation for all the cards, flowers, donations and expressed condolences in our time of loss and sorrow. We appreciate all the friends and colleagues who came to his service and shared their remembrances of him. He was an extraordinary person and will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.

Emily, Dean, Michelle and family

...for crisis help

A belated but very sincere thank you for the immeasurable amount of kindness and support offered to my children; Sadie and Seamuson, our housemate Eli and myself after our home was severely damaged by a fire on Feb. 14.

Thank you: management and staff at The Alaskan Hotel and Bar; members of Peabody's Monster and Crabgrass Panhandle Revival; Dave Schmidt and the members of Elks Lodge 420; the family of neighbors at Louie's in Douglas; the generous and supportive employees at Juneau Youth Services; Richard and Chava Lee; as well as the overwhelming amount of people and businesses who offered donations and kind words during a very difficult time.

I feel very fortunate to be part of this community.

Tryphena Adams

...for auction help

The Gastineau Channel Little League is committed to the kids of our community.

We are a success because of the efforts of our multitude of volunteers and the generosity of local businesses. Our recent fund raiser featured a spaghetti feed along with a dessert and centerpiece auction.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank those, whose efforts contributed to our success.

The Juneau Gun Club would like to thank the 65 participants and volunteers who made the 3rd annual Legislative 3-Gun Shoot a great event on March 4. Legislators and staffers from throughout Alaska shot 16 yard trap, action pistol and silhouette rimfire rifle as three-person teams. A few lobbyists and people from the governor's office and the Department of Fish and Game filled out the teams. The winning team was Wolf Control, a team composed of Senator Rick Halford, Annette Kreitzer and Ken Taylor. Senator Kim Elton and CBJ Assemblyman Don Etheridge shot on a team with Representative Tom Brice of Fairbanks.

The Juneau Gun Club, a member-owned club with about 160 members is open to the public on Sundays and on Wednesday evenings. Special events such as the Legislative Shoot, Amateur Trapshooting Association registered shoots, youth shotgun training, and Chevy Truck Team Challenge 3-Gun shoots are usually on Saturdays. A winter trapshooting league, with teams sponsored by local businesses, shoots on Wednesday evenings during public hours. For information on upcoming events please call 789-9844.

Wayne Nicolls

...for health fair

Collaboration, dedication, time, talent and effort is what was demonstrated at the First Annual Teen Health Fair on Thursday, February 17 at the Zach Gordon Youth Center. The event, that was sponsored by Catholic Community Services, Teen Family Center and the Zach Gordon Youth Center, was a huge success. Approximately 40 teams attended the fair and learned about various health topics including stress management, tobacco use, nutrition, cancer prevention and child development. Teens also had the opportunity to check their vision, find out their height and weight, and sample a variety of healthy snacks.

There were a number of presenters from local social service and health agencies who lent their knowledge and time. Thanks to Edy Hiltner, Heidi Adams, and Genevieve Casey-Smith from Healthy Families Juneau; Anne Rausch and Megan Theriot from AWARE; Heidi Johnson from Infant Learning Program; Kelley Reinsmith from JDHS; Mary Tonsmiere and Jessica Tam from the Teen Health Center; Mary Becker from NCADD; Laurie Overbay from the Zach Gordon Youth Center; Diane Worley, FAS/FAE State Coordinator; Joni Leet from SEAHC; and from the Juneau Public Health Center, Mary Richards and Kathleen Miller. We would also like to thank Cynthia Shaw and her students from the Parenting Class at YaKoos Alternative High School, Kaylee Hobbs, Liz Hovis, Mindy Hovis, Anthony Proud, TJ Proud and Nellie Bagoyo. A number of community volunteers donated time, especially Dee Johnson, Lillian Lim, Hoss Hovis and Alice Walters. Also our thanks to the following businesses: Costco, Kmart, Fred Meyer, Borderline, National Bank of Alaska, Sealaska, Northern Echoes, The Broiler, The Nugget Outfitter, Belles, Good Humor Balloons, Primerica, The Alzheimer's Association, Glacier Travel, Centennial Hall and the State Museum.

We would like to thank in a very special way Judy Neary from Alaska State Health Fair, Wendie Marriott from the Zach Gordon Youth Center, and Ellen Moore, PHN, from the Juneau Public Health Center. Without their support and commitment, the Teen Health Fair would not have happened.

Again thanks to the many volunteers. We look forward to next year.

Liz BroganBridget EasawTeen Family Center

...for basketball tournament

The 2nd Annual 40 and over Oldtimers Basketball Tournament came and went again in Kake, and it was a success!

It happened the week of Feb. 15-18 and this letter may have taken awhile - but it takes longer for the old-timers to recuperate! This tournament was dedicated to our senior citizens and to Donald James Sr. (chairman of Kake's 1st Annual).

A total of $4,624.38 was raised, after bills were paid, and $4,275.38 was given to the Kake Schools Athletic Fund. You might think, well, that's not much - but that's just from the gate, raffle tickets and tshirt sales, the junior and senior class had the opportunity to raise money by selling concessions - which they did!

Visiting teams included Angoon, Sitka and Metlakatla. Steve Brandner and his wife Monica came to support our tournament as Steve played and Juneau's (Alaska's) Mrs. Alaska donned a cheerleading outfit and wowed the crowd! Steve and Monica also donated $50 to support our kids and Kake will remember that, thank you!

The community watched as players from Sitka, well-known to the basketball minded Southeast Alaska hit the courts: Gary Lang, Ed Peele, Steve Edenshaw, Steve Brandner, David L. Friday, to name a few along with Metlakatla's: Clarence Milton, George Fawcett and Archie Wellington, who were joined by Hans Blandov, W/ Kake's Bob Mills and David James. Angoon's: Joey George - 2nd Annual MVP selection, Mike Fred, Willy Jack and Roger Williams came and swept the tournament to take home the championship.

All in all it was great! The halftime entertainment surpassed any seen elsewhere! Ask Gary Lang - he enjoyed it, so did all the other players and the community! The junior high and high school girls did a dance, followed by three mysterious hombre's in masked dance - guess who stole the show? No other than Chubby Ho!

The cheeks just stopped cramping from laughing, then the ``Red Hot Mama's'' cheerleading squad some of which include: Edna Charley, Georgie Reese, Marcie Aceveda, Dinah Aceveda, Christine Williams and Monica Brandner to name a few, came out and again stole the show - now their phones won't stop ringing as talent scouts world wide call to book them!

Kake enjoyed a ``suitcase'' race as the A.N.S. sister's challenged the A.N.B. led by Wanita `Bunny' James, Debbie Thomas, Matti Jackson - vs - Max Brown, Billy Alsup and Sitka's Gary Lang. The object - men run to a chair put on ladies clothes as fast as you can, ladies put on men's clothes, then race back -wouldn't you know it? Gary Lang ``Bloomed'' into a celebrity overnight!

The Keex Kwaan Dancer's performed, led by Ruth Demmert and donated $530 to the cause, what can we say but our hats off to you in thankfulness and pride.

Parents also cheered as kindergarten through second grade boys and girls played. There's much more to write, what'll happen next year? Who knows? The only way you'll find out is to come and see. Sitka made a comment, our youngest player is 54, but hey, they came to play and gave everyone a run throughout the week! Some of Kake's players who haven't played in 20-plus years, came out of retirement and enjoyed it! Owen James came from Hoonah, parting remarks from the visitors. . .We'll be back!